ALCS notes: Nava watches while Gomes plays left for Red Sox

Saturday

Oct 19, 2013 at 6:00 AMOct 20, 2013 at 12:57 AM

BOSTON — It shows just how good the Red Sox are when they can take a .300 hitter and have him as a bench player. That was the case again on Saturday night as Daniel Nava watched Game 6 from the dugout while Jonny Gomes played left field.

By Bill Ballou, TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF

BOSTON — It shows just how good the Red Sox are when they can take a .300 hitter and have him as a bench player.

That was the case again on Saturday night as Daniel Nava watched Game 6 from the dugout while Jonny Gomes played left field.

"It's very difficult to not put Daniel in the lineup," manager John Farrell said, "because he's been a very important part of the team all year, but we have a different feel when Jonny's in the lineup — call it a hunch if you want.

"But defense and base running, the way this series has unfolded, have been integral parts of our success."

Crash program?

Farrell wouldn't mind if baseball changed its rules to discourage collisions like the one David Ross and Alex Avila had in Game 5 in Detroit.

"I've always been in favor of baseball tradition," Farrell said, "but I would be in favor of some change that would protect them. Anything to help protect guys from injury. How that would ultimately be done remains to be seen."

There have long been discussions of how to deal with collisions at the plate, some of which have led to pretty devastating injuries through the years. The issue has always been how to avoid giving an advantage to the catcher or the runner, so nothing has changed. The added awareness of concussion issues, though, could force the issue.

Lined up for Lovullo

Boston could lose bench coach Torey Lovullo sooner rather than later to a managerial job.

His name has surfaced in relation to the Chicago Cubs opening. Lovullo has put together a very solid résumé through the years. It includes experience as a major league player, major league coach and minor league manager. One of those stops in the minors was 2010 in Pawtucket.

"To me," Farrell said, "he's a manager in waiting. He's going to have opportunities extended to him to a point where he winds up getting a job. He has been integral to what we've done here, and he has a great baseball mind."

Farrell would not want Lovullo to get involved in an active job search until the playoffs end, whenever that might be.

"We want everyone to be really focused on what we're doing here," the manager said, adding that he hopes any team interested in Lovullo would be sensitive to the fact that Boston has business to take care of at the present.

Many who have recently coached with the Red Sox have become major league managers. Farrell was hired as the Blue Jays' manager after being Red Sox pitching coach, and Brad Mills went from Sox bench coach to another one of the unfortunate men to manage the Astros.

Grady Little was a bench coach under Jimy Williams; Dale Sveum, whom Lovullo would replace if he went to the Cubs, was a third base coach for Terry Francona; and Tim Johnson, who briefly managed the Blue Jays before it was revealed he lied about his military career, was a coach for Kevin Kennedy.

Peavy in bullpen

Jake Peavy's job description had changed to relief pitcher for Saturday night's game. It is not all that unusual during the playoffs to use starting pitchers as relievers, especially late in a series.

"I'm confident he can do it," Farrell said. "When he threw a couple of innings in that simulated game, you could see something there. But he knows there are a couple of guys I would use ahead of him before I'd use him in a key spot."

Sox in Original Four

Hockey has its Original Si,x and the American League has its Original Four.

The Red Sox, Indians, White Sox and Tigers are the four current AL teams who have been in the league, unchanged, since the league began play in 1901. New York, Oakland, Baltimore and Minnesota all moved to their cities after the AL's initial season.

This year's AL Championship Series marks just the second time two Original Four teams have squared off since baseball began divisional play in 1969. The Red Sox have been involved in both series. Boston beat the Indians, 4-3, in 2007.

Diamond Dust

Bill Mueller, who was busy as an advance scout for the Dodgers until Friday, threw out the ceremonial first ball. … Avila, who suffered a knee injury on Thursday in Detroit, was back in the Tigers lineup.